Trouble with Large Format Negative Scanning – Seeking Advice

[movone8084]

Hi all,

I’m currently working with large format negatives, and I’ve encountered some challenges when it comes to scanning them. I’m using a flatbed scanner (Epson V700) and a film holder for 4x5 negatives, but I’m not happy with the quality of the scans. The detail seems soft, and I’m having trouble getting accurate color reproduction, especially with the sky in landscape shots. I've tried a few different settings but nothing seems to give me the sharpness I’m looking for.

I’m wondering if anyone has tips for improving the scanning process. Should I be using different resolution settings, or would a different scanning technique (perhaps wet scanning?) help? Are there any specific adjustments I should make in terms of focus or scanning exposure? I’ve also heard about the importance of post-processing, so any advice on software settings or workflow would be greatly appreciated as well.

Additionally, I'm curious if there are any other scanner models or accessories that people here prefer for large format negatives. I’ve heard mixed opinions about the V700, and I’m open to suggestions for upgrades if it’ll give me better results.

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated – I’m still learning and trying to get the best out of my negatives!

Thanks in advance!



okta (https://www.igmguru.com/cyber-security/okta-training)

[newt]

you might ask the moderators to move this to the digital processing section. I think it will get seen there more by the people who have the knowledge

[Alan Klein]

Are you using the V700 4x5 film holder? Also, you have to sharpen flatbed scanner files a lot, really a lot—like 200 to the scan file (I don;t sharpen for the scan itself. Uncheck that box.). I scan with my V600 and V850 at 2400bpi ,48-bit color or grayscale if BW. Converting color negatives is hard, so I use chrome, positive film. But others should be able to cue you in regarding color conversions of negative film better than me.

You can see samples of my scans on my Flickr portfolio linked below.

[bmikiten]

It's likely that your film holder is not at the right height for the lens. You probably need to offset it for optimum scanning but don't expect amazing results from the V700.

[Alan9940]

First, you need to come to grips with the fact that any flatbed scan, other than those from high-end cross-type flatbed scanners, is going to produce a natively soft(ish) scan. I agree with @bmikiten that the lens may not be focusing exactly at the film plane of the film in the holder. There used to be a company (betterscanning?) that made various holders that were height adjustable making it easy to pinpoint the exact height needed for your scanner. I think they may have closed up shop, but you might be able to find one somewhere. You could try the Epson Fluid mount unit or wet mount directly to the glass. Bottom line, though, to get the most out of your V700 you'll need to do some testing and figure out the best sharpening workflow.

There's also camera scanning, but that's a whole huge topic itself. This will give you superior scans vs your flatbed depending, of course, on the equipment used.

[Fred L]

I scan with the area guide and place my negatives (120-8x10) under a sheet of AN glass. Dust can be a huge pita scanning this way but with enough cleaning, it's not so bad. Gave up on the stock holders.

[teathomas]

About the colors: what software are you using, and how are you inverting the negatives?

[Chuck_4x5]

I use the V700 and my workflow, either with negative scans in the film holder or print scans. I imagine there's a better way but this is what I do:

1. Scan at 7000 pixels on the long edge to a .tiff file.
2. Import into LrC. With neg scans I make any basic tonal adjustments I want, remove any dust specs. With print scans I make any necessary adjustments to match print tones best I can and remove any dust specs.
3. I make about two maybe three .tiff saves, each time stepping down the long edge until I reach my target size for uploading, at each save I sharpen just a bit more, it doesn't take much and can be easy to over sharpen.
4. When I'm satisfied with the last .tiff save/sharpening cycle, I then save that file as a .jpeg file for uploading.

It sounds like a lot, but not that bad after you get used to it. I just recently learned how to do it that way and it has made a big difference in my uploads. Both Photrio and LFPF definitely knock off some sharpness to the images upon upload, regardless, it seems, of how nice a sharpening job. Flickr seems to do a really good job of keeping the sharpness of the image upon upload to that site, imo.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I don't use the negative holders that came with the V750. I scanned with the negatives directly on the platen, with AN glass on top... that is, until I dropped the AN glass, smashing it all over the floor. Now I wet mount, which takes longer, but at least the scans are a bit better. Still have to sharpen in PS, though.

[Kiwi7475]

Like others, I also scan directly on the scanner glass, emulsion down, with an AN glass on top of the negative to keep it flat and newton-ring-free.

These days it’s not easy to find AN glass but you can still source it from knight optical (knightoptical.com) in the UK. Shipping to the US is expensive but all the US sources of AN glass that I knew of have gone away. It’s nice that they can do custom sizes, but they have a stock size that works well for the flatbed scanner for 8x10 film.

I use this approach both with my V850 for scanning film up to 8x10 and my 11000xl for 11x14.

[PRJ]

You should take a close look at the glass and the mirrors. The 700 is pretty old. They are probably dirty which makes the scans soft. Might as well remove the glass and clean it all up.